Factors Influencing Social Equality

Discuss about the Challenges Faced By an Aboriginal Woman Samantha.

Humans generally accept equality among all and steer clear of hierarchy with more readiness when they have clear minds and are not distressed. Social equality refers to the state of affairs where all individuals residing within a society or in isolated groups share a similar status in different respects of freedom of speech, civil rights, equal access to social services and goods, and property rights (Wolff, 2015). The essay will formulate a welfare system for a case study that elaborates on the challenges faced by an Aboriginal woman Samantha.

According to the Australia’s welfare framework, three central domains have been identified imperative for all people namely, wellbeing, welfare services, and determinants. Furthermore, there are a plethora of contextual factors that also govern the access to certain primary social resources such as, primary healthcare practitioners, economic conditions, and population growth (Australia Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). A range of human and social elements have been found to play an essential role in shaping equality. Material living conditions are an indicator of income, housing and the power of purchasing. Inequality in income distribution is often correlated to disparities that exist in the wellbeing and health outcomes (Raphael, 2016). Furthermore, adequate housing is a prerequisite for meeting the basic human needs of shelter and provides a protective environment (Rolnik, 2013). Non-school qualification acts as a measure of poor material living conditions and poorer health outcomes. Similar associations can also be established for other social elements such as, personal safety, community engagement, environment and health and vitality (Mitrou et al., 2014).

The current case scenario focuses on Samantha, an Aboriginal single mother, residing in a social housing and is currently unemployed. Social housings are most commonly provided by non-profit organisations or government agencies for people having particular needs or with low incomes. This explains the fact that Samantha and her son have poor living conditions and low employment to population ratio that emphasizes on the fact that lack of job is not able to protect their household from poverty (Australia Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017). Centrelink benefits that are currently being utilized by Samantha for her child acts as a firm of payment that helps with the cost of her child care (Centrelink Payments and Services, 2018). Furthermore, the fact that she is abused by her boyfriend is also confirmed by her neighbours. This falls under the social element of personal safety, crime victimization in particular and suggests the absence of a safe environment that is imperative for the overall physical and wellbeing of the individual and her child (Kuroki, 2013). Government records suggest that 2.4% were subjected to physical assault, 2.6% to face-to-face threatened assault. Moreover, an estimated 0.4% people of 18.3 million, aged more than 18 years also reported sexual assault (Abs.gov.au, 2018). This indicates the presence of high crime victimisation rates in Australia, of which Samantha is also a part. Data reports also suggest that close to 83.2% indigenous students attended schools in 2017, when compared to 93% of their nonindigenous counterparts. Samantha’s interest in going back to school suggests that she had dropped-out of schools in her early years. Thus, it can be deduced that Samantha’s welfare was largely governed by her non-school qualification that was a subjective indicator of poor living conditions (Ricard & Pelletier, 2016). Furthermore, the fact that most of her family members are out of the country indicate lack of community engagement and a low level of generalised trust that is an essential contributor of poorer wellbeing.

Case Study of Samantha

Housing security is an essential service that should be implemented in a way that promotes the welfare of Samantha, by taking into consideration her homelessness, housing affordability, and its mobility. Renters have been found to a 6 times increased likelihood of moving houses at least 4 times (Fitzpatrick & Pawson, 2014). Rapid urbanisation and increased costs of building and land materials make it difficult for low-income groups to access appropriate resources for building safe homes. Thus, her welfare can be improved by entering into an HMA (Housing Management Agreement), in accordance to the policy manual of Aboriginal housing services (Government of Western Australia, 2018). Provisions should be created for providing a Samantha with the opportunity of pursuing education. This can be facilitated by appropriate implementation of the Aboriginal Education Policy that shows a commitment to improve wellbeing and educational outcomes for all Aboriginals (Closingthegap.pmc.gov.au, 2018). In addition, the welfare framework will also encompass the concepts of autonomy and self-determination where Samantha will be provided the rights for developing and determining what services are best for her welfare and will also be allowed to participate in decisions that create an impact on her child, and is fundamental to self-determination principles (Phillips et al., 2014). There is a need to gain a deeper understanding on the Aboriginal worldviews to understand the individual and her relationship with her child, partner, community, and the land. Thus, a holistic approach will be employed that emphasises on such connections and relationships (Government of Western Australia, 2018). In other words, efforts will be taken to eliminate the isolation of Samantha from her extended family and community, thereby enhancing her physical, mental, social and environmental aspects of life.

The framework will be largely governed by several principles of accountability, access and equity, partnership, and cultural safety and security. Efforts will be taken to show adherence to the government policies and recommendations for entitling Samantha to equal access for family support and child protection services, which demonstrate a responsiveness to her needs, and exclusive cultural context. All kinds of barriers must be removed that prevent her genuine participation in major decision making processes. The framework should also focus on educating Samantha on the steps that must be taken to report suspected incidents of abuse and violence (Justice.vic.gov.au, 2018). This will directly address the code of silence and the statutory obligations will be met by the government, while working in partnership to recognise and implement solutions that address abuse and family violence (Kingsley et al., 2013). Aboriginal heritage is also found to be inseparable from their natural environment and the waterways and lands are related to cultural learning that establishes a strong association with the Aboriginal people (Government of Western Australia, 2018). In other words, the welfare safety framework will take into account the necessity of the environment and will try to relocate Samantha to an area where the aboriginal communities reside, in accordance to the regional assessment policies (Jenkins, 2014). Efforts will also be taken to ensure that Samantha’s child gets access to a form of culturally appropriate and high quality pre-school care, in addition to promoting attendance. Strengthening the pride in culture and identity will also be an essential step in promoting better living.

Proposed Welfare System

Conclusion

To conclude, social equality is one of the most essential factors that helps in ensuring wellbeing of individuals. The concepts of health and economic equality are crucial for social securities. Moreover, it also encompasses obligations and equal opportunities, thereby involving the entire society. The welfare framework for the current scenario would address her economic position, housing security, educational attainment and personal safety to enhance the overall health and wellbeing.

References

Abs.gov.au. (2018). 4530.0 – Crime Victimisation, Australia, 2016-17. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/[email protected]/mf/4530.0

Australia Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017). The Australia’s welfare indicator framework. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/6af13110-ec14-4257-9fd2-8bea02a6d688/aihw-australias-welfare-2017-chapter9-1.pdf.aspx.

Australia Institute of Health and Welfare. (2017). Understanding welfare. Retrieved from https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/c20ec35c-918a-408f-b2ee-6a7476831977/aihw-australias-welfare-2017-chapter1-3.pdf.aspx.

Centrelink Payments and Services. (2018). Australian Government Department of Human Services. Retrieved from https://www.humanservices.gov.au/individuals/services/centrelink

Closingthegap.pmc.gov.au. (2018). Education | Closing the Gap. Retrieved from https://closingthegap.pmc.gov.au/education

Fitzpatrick, S., & Pawson, H. (2014). Ending security of tenure for social renters: Transitioning to ‘ambulance service’social housing?. Housing Studies, 29(5), 597-615.

Government of Western Australia. (2018). ABORIGINAL HOUSING SERVICES- POLICY MANUAL. Retrieved from https://www.housing.wa.gov.au/HousingDocuments/Aboriginal_Housing_Policy_Manual.pdf.

Government of Western Australia. (2018). ABORIGINAL SERVICES AND PRACTICE FRAMEWORK 2016 -2018. Retrieved from https://www.dcp.wa.gov.au/Resources/Documents/ABORIGINAL%20SERVICES%20AND%20PRACTICE%20FRAMEWORK.pdf.

Jenkins, R. (2014). Social identity. Routledge.

Justice.vic.gov.au. (2018). Aboriginal Social and Emotional Wellbeing Plan – Department of Justice and Regulation, Victoria. Retrieved from https://www.justice.vic.gov.au/home/your+rights/aboriginal+justice+agreement/aboriginal+social+and+emotional+wellbeing+plan#breadcrumbs

Kingsley, J., Townsend, M., Henderson-Wilson, C., & Bolam, B. (2013). Developing an exploratory framework linking Australian Aboriginal peoples’ connection to country and concepts of wellbeing. International journal of environmental research and public health, 10(2), 678-698.

Kuroki, M. (2013). Crime victimization and subjective well-being: Evidence from happiness data. Journal of Happiness Studies, 14(3), 783-794.

Mitrou, F., Cooke, M., Lawrence, D., Povah, D., Mobilia, E., Guimond, E., & Zubrick, S. R. (2014). Gaps in Indigenous disadvantage not closing: a census cohort study of social determinants of health in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand from 1981–2006. BMC Public Health, 14(1), 201.

Phillips, G., Bottomley, C., Schmidt, E., Tobi, P., Lais, S., Yu, G., … & Clow, A. (2014). Well London Phase-1: results among adults of a cluster-randomised trial of a community engagement approach to improving health behaviours and mental well-being in deprived inner-city neighbourhoods. J Epidemiol Community Health, 68(7), 606-614.

Raphael, D. (2016). Social structure, living conditions, and health. Social determinants of health: Canadian perspectives, 32-56.

Ricard, N. C., & Pelletier, L. G. (2016). Dropping out of high school: The role of parent and teacher self-determination support, reciprocal friendships and academic motivation. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 44, 32-40.

Rolnik, R. (2013). Late neoliberalism: the financialization of homeownership and housing rights. International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, 37(3), 1058-1066.

Wolff, J. (2015). Social equality and social inequality. Oxford University Press.